Unless your assumption is that the media is unique to the specific filter tested by Ascent, it's very easy to extrapolate up or down in size and media area as to how efficiency plots.
Dramatic hand waving and posturing about how "a sample size of one" is insufficient in order to justify your own buying decisions; asserting that you are making a more "informed" decision, and that this decision making process is superior to that of others who are choosing to run an Ultra based on the FRAM and Ascent data is disingenuous grift. We know that, per Ascent, the Purolator spec sheet data isn't accurate either, so just how informed are you really?
Tire version of this discussion:
Let's say Michelin claims certain performance parameters about the Pilot Super Sport model of tires, as a blanket, based on a test of three different sizes in a standardized test.
Tire Rack performs the same test on 4x different Performance Summer tires in P275/45/ZR20 and the Michelin wipes the floor with everything else. The Khumo AssMaster 6000 ranks 4th.
Unlike Michelin, Khumo publishes specific performance spec sheets for each size of AssMaster 6000 tire, purportedly per this testing protocol.
- Is the person buying the Michelin Pilot Super Sport in P295/40/ZR20 making a poorly informed decision, considering both the MIchelin data and the Tire Rack test results, because performance data for that specific size is not provided?
- Is buying the Khumo AssMaster 6000 at the same price as the Michelin a better decision because Khumo provides performance data for that specific size, even though that data shows the performance is considerably less than the Michelin?
- Does the fact that the AssMaster 6000 yields different figures in the Tire Rack testing than what are provided by Khumo, bolster, or detract from the argument that being a Khumo buyer is being a more informed buyer because they provide those performance specs?
@ZeeOSix is the Michelin buyer. You are arguing with him that you are more informed and subsequently making a better decision by going with the AssMaster 6000 because even though the AssMaster was the poorest performing, you have a spec sheet and he only has the results from Michelin based on 3x different sizes and the Tire Rack results, which, somehow, are totally invalidated if we look at other sizes.
Do you realize how silly that looks?